# Companies Act 2006, Section 4: Private and public companies


(1) A “private company” is any company that is not a public company.
(2) A “public company” is a company limited by shares or limited by guarantee and having a share capital—
(a) whose certificate of incorporation states that it is a public company, and
(b) in relation to which the requirements of this Act, or the former Companies Acts, as to registration or re-registration as a public company have been complied with on or after the relevant date.
(3) For the purposes of subsection (2)(b) the relevant date is—
(a) in relation to registration or re-registration in Great Britain, 22nd December 1980;
(b) in relation to registration or re-registration in Northern Ireland, 1st July 1983.
(4) For the two major differences between private and public companies, see Part 20.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/4 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/companies-act-2006/section-4
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.